


Worth Every Penny

by darthjamtart



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-15 12:49:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1305463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthjamtart/pseuds/darthjamtart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unpaid interns in <s>love</s> lust. The romance can come after the raise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth Every Penny

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flipflop_diva](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipflop_diva/gifts).



> Takes place shortly after Thor: The Dark World.

“You’re going to break it.”

“I’m not going to break it!” Ian shoves an enormous and very heavy piece of Jane’s Important Science Equipment into the rental car, which now dips slightly lower on one end. Darcy holds her breath, then slowly lets it out when nothing appears to have broken. “Told you,” Ian says, sounding smug, and Darcy socks him (gently) in the arm.

“If you break it, it’s coming out of your wages,” Darcy informs him as he bends to pick up the next piece. She tilts her head, admiring the curve of his butt.

“I don’t _get_ any wages,” Ian reminds her.

“Yeah, we should probably do something about that,” Darcy agrees. “I’m not sure what fair compensation would be for an intern’s intern, but I, as Official Science Intern, should totally be getting some kind of financial remuneration for, you know,” she waggles her fingers in the air. Ian straightens, visibly straining under the weight of Important Science Equipment. 

“For delegating all the physical labor?” he asks, voice utterly dry.

“I’m totally management material,” Darcy agrees. “Anyway, if I got paid, I could afford to take you out in the style to which I’d like to become accustomed.”

The look Ian gives her at that is odd, so she gives him her best come-hither eyes. It’s maybe a little too effective, because he drops the Important Science Equipment a little too abruptly into the car, which shakes, and then tilts alarmingly backward. They scramble out of the way as the back bumper slowly sinks to the ground, the car’s nose edging up toward the sky.

They both stare at the car. Ian has an expression of dismay, which makes Darcy think of a sad puppy, which makes her grin. When he finally looks back at her, Ian throws up his arms and says, “That’s it! We’re going on strike!”

“Awesome,” Darcy says immediately. “I’m making signs.”

Darcy’s been Chief Organizer of all of Jane’s crap (useless and otherwise) for years, so she knows exactly where to find the stash of sharpies and posterboard. **MAKE SCIENCE, NOT SLAVE LABOR** , she sketches out in giant balloon letters, and then hands the sharpies over to Ian to fill in the letters.

“I feel like you’re not taking this seriously,” Ian says, but his shading is thorough and consistent and always stays within the lines, so she ignores him.

They have several completed signs by the time Jane and Erik get back from their Science Reconnoitering, or whatever it was they were doing. Ian is holding most of them (the first one, as well as **I’M SO ANGRY I MADE A SIGN** , and one serious one reading, **ON STRIKE/UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE** that he’d made when Darcy wasn’t watching). Darcy has her sign, **BEWARE: UNPAID INTERNS MAY BITE** , propped against her leg while she paints her nails.

“You don’t get paid?” Jane says, after reading the signs.

“Um, no?” Darcy says. “Unpaid internship? College credit? Ringing any bells?”

“Oh,” Jane says. She looks genuinely upset, and Darcy pulls her into a hug.

“Hey, it’s cool, no one was complaining until now.”

“Of course you can be paid,” Jane says. “Just, you know, fill out the paperwork for that and file it wherever it’s supposed to go. Do you know where the paperwork is? Or, um, what forms we need?”

“Yup,” Darcy says agreeably. “On it, boss.”

“Wait,” Ian says a few minutes later, as they’re filling out paperwork. “You didn’t discuss how much.”

“Ah, good,” Darcy murmurs, checking a box on her W2 with satisfaction. “You’re learning.”


End file.
